Summer Outdoor Movie Series: Summer of 1982

Our Summer of 1982 continues this Friday, June 24^th at the Madison Public Library with the scariest movie from the Summer of ’82- Poltergeist! (trailer)

When Bloomsbury Publishing decided to publish an unknown author with a story that seemed to go against every rule in children’s publishing at the time, they set off a domino effect of global societal impacts that are still felt today. Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, otherwise known as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, was published June 26, 1997. The first movie by the same name later debuted November 14, 2001. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, the final installment in the Harry Potter franchise, was published July 14, 2007. The final movie debuted July 15, 2011.

The Mad Movie-A-Thon-O-Rama Continues!

The Mad Movie-A-Thon-O-Rama continues through May! I will continue showing movies on the second and fourth Thursdays in April and May and we will also have a special movie presentation on the third Thursday in April!  That’s right. More movies! More gimmicks! More “A-Thon!”  and, seriously, way more “O-Rama!”

Where can you find an unlimited number of worlds to explore, the newest technology at your finger tips and the latest songs and movies— all for free? That's right, the library!

Unfortunately, libraries remain one of the best kept secrets of many cities. Community members are often not aware of all of the services available to them through their local library. To so many, the library starts and ends with books. Though the books offered are a wonderful resource, and are enough of a reason to get a library card, there are plenty of other reasons to love your local library.

In honor of National Library Week, here are five reasons to visit your local library:

With a generous gift from Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Huntsville-Madison County Public Library was able to add to our growing workforce development offerings with a subscription to UniversalClass!

UniversalClass offers over 600 online courses - all for free and available to HMCPL card holders. With UniversalClass, you get 24/7 access, feedback from certified instructors, self-paced classes, and Continuing Education Units on select courses. 

Looking for something new for your kids to read? Look no further than a few of my personal picks of these new releases from the various categories in our Youth collections:

Picture Books

Aaron Slater, illustrator by Andrea Beaty ; illustrated by David Roberts

Interview with author Sherrilyn Kenyon

By Robert Freese

"I would venture to guess that Anon, who wrote so many poems without signing them, was often a woman." – Virginia Woolf

This quote from Virginia Woolf is more commonly recognized in its iconic rephrasing, “For most of history, Anonymous was a woman.” But why is that the case?

Simply put: Female writers were often denied the freedom of claiming their own words.

Contemporary Retellings of Fairy Tales

The tale may be old as time, but there are new ways to experience these rhymes! It is in the nature of fairy tales to be retold as time goes on. There are new lessons to teach, new messages to shape and new ways to frame these dearly beloved characters. Contemporary authors have not shied away from this challenge, continuing the longstanding tradition of retelling fairy tales by putting their own spin on classic stories.

New DVD/Streaming Release: The Hating Game

HMCPL recently received the new romantic comedy The Hating Game, based on Sally Thorne’s 2016 novel of the same name, on DVD.